Raspberry leaf tablets/tea

[K8eee]

Am 32 weeks pg tomorrow, and have heard the above is good for second stages of labour. This is my first baby, so no reasons as of yet why I should be wary of taking it. What are the major benefits? And if there are negatives too, what are they...?

I think they are supposed to strengthen contractions and make them more effective. I'm going to go for the tablets as I'm not the biggest fan of herbal teas and you'd have to make it quite strong and drink several cups a day for it to have an effect.

I hate herbal tea, makes me gag is it really proven to work?

I took the tables at the appropriate number of weeks (can't remember what it is now) for both my pregnancies. Had quite quick labours for both of my Ds. It seemed to work for me.

I've read that it helps the second stage of labour? Ie the pushing bit

OP, I don't know if it really works or not but it doesn't cost much and it's gotta be worth a try!

Been reading up on them, and in Australia some midwives did some tests and the ones who took it had a better pushing stage & contractions were more effective.

It's hard to say if they actually work as you've got nothing to compare it against.
I drank the teas religiously, was induced and was in labour for 18 hours, 2 and a half hours pushing. I don't know if it would have been longer if I didn't drink the tea but I'll give it another go this time as well.

I don't know if it was the raspberry leaf capsules that did it but my midwife suggested them and I took them pretty irregularly from 36 weeks at 3 a day, working up to 9 a day at 40 weeks and my labour was 7hrs from start to finish for my first baby.

I took the capsules from Holland and Barrett, I tried the tea but it was disgusting.